Read your notes and articles on the community bar and other notification systems.

Scan the web for ideas, or look at existing systems to see how they include notifications (e.g., software updates, stock tickers, etc). Feel free to re-design existing systems.

Brainstorm several notifications by :

- describing several audiences (friends, family, workgroups)

- describing information they may be interested in receiving as a notification

- sketching the design of the three levels of notifications and how they lead to interaction

- sketching what would happen if the poster haddifferent powers than others

Compare ideas with your classmates, and synthesize new ideas based upon feedback.

Feel free to work together so that your notifications complement one another.

Implement your design

Package your implementation, and create a visual summary of it on the web site, and as a paper prototype using a book idea.

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Suggested process

See the process in project one - the same general ideas still apply

Read your notes and articles on the community bar, and check out other notification systems now available (see papers and web sites above).

Engage in lateral thinking over existing single user notification systems (e.g., software updates, stock tickers, etc). That is, ask how a notification intended for a single person could work in a group setting. Feel free to re-design these systems to this groupware setting.

For each idea, brainstorm several notifications by :

- describing several audiences (friends, family, workgroups)

- describing information they may be interested in receiving as a notification

- sketching the design of the three levels of notifications and how they lead to interaction

- sketching what would happen if the poster haddifferent powers than others

Compare ideas with your classmates, and synthesize new ideas based upon feedback.

Feel free to work together so that your notifications complement one another.

Implement your design

Package your implementation, and create a visual summary of it on the web site, and as a paper prototype using a book idea.

post an arbitrary image as a notification, where others could make it larger, and then we could interact over it through a simple multi-user sketch system ie., where we can draw atop the image simultaneously

a group scheduling system, where we could add individual events as notifications to the schedule, and where the system would notify us of events coming up

notify others of interesting things found on the web

tie a notification to changing information somewhere on the web (e.g., weather, avalanche reports) where the notification would update itself automatically and tell me when things have changed

post a series of pictures as a slide show, but where people who receive it can view images at larger sizes through a simple slide show control

send a voice broadcast to the group as a notification

redo tickertape (see last reading below)...

Readings

to:

See the readings - there are various ideas in each of them.

Post an arbitrary image as a notification, where others could make it larger, and then we could interact over it through a simple multi-user sketch system ie., where we can draw atop the image simultaneously.

A group scheduling system, where we could add individual events as notifications to the schedule, and where the system would notify us of events coming up.

Notify others of interesting things found on the web.

Create a group 'notebook' where people could cut and paste text and/or images into it. It would show the latest item, but keep previous items in an archive.

Tie a notification to changing information somewhere on the web (e.g., weather, avalanche reports) where the notification would update itself automatically and tell the group when things have changed.

Send a voice broadcast to the group as a notification.

Redo tickertape (see the reading by Fitzpatrick).

Using the EasyImages package, exploit a person's ability to capture and transmit live video. Go beyond talking heads. For example, you can use video to photograph sketches, and then create a sketch collection that captures people's project sketches over time (i.e., a virtual design studio), where people can also critiqe the sketches within them.

optional

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optional

Changed lines 66-76 from:

Evaluation

Evaluation will be somewhat stricter than in project 1. As before, your exercise will be very loosely based on the following breakdown. However, great successes − or failures − in one exercise criteria will likely affect your total grade. Note that a successful implementation is required: if you cannot demonstrate your system, you will automatically receive a zero.

Sketches: ~1/5 of your grade

Design creativity: ~1/5 of your grade

Implementation, documentation and packaging:: ~2/5 of your grade

Portfolio summary: ~1/5 of your grade

Possible ideas

to:

Evaluation

Evaluation will be somewhat stricter than in project 1. As before, your exercise will be based delivery of sketches, your design creativity, your implementation, documentation and packaging, and your portfolio summaries (paper and electronic). Great successes or failures in one of these criteria can affect your total grade significantly. Note that a successful implementation is required: if you cannot demonstrate your system, you will automatically receive a zero.

You will apply your knowledge of notifications and groupware to design a notification system suitable for a particular community

You will generate sketched designs in your sketchbook of possible notifications and how your audience will use it

You will produce a modest paper prototype illustrating your design, and will present it for critique

You will implement and package your design on the class web site so others can try it.

You will create a portfolio summary of this design based on the idea of a book.

to:

(:table border=1 cellspacing=0 :)

(:cellnr:) Exercise Objectives
(:cell:)

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(:cellnr:) You will apply your knowledge of notifications and groupware to design a notification system suitable for a particular community
(:cell:)
Transform your theoretical knowledge of notifications (as taught in class and garnered through the readings) to design
(:cellnr:) You will generate sketched designs in your sketchbook of possible notifications and how your audience will use it.
(:cell:)
Develop skills designing and implementing usable notification systems.
(:cellnr:) You will produce a modest paper prototype illustrating your design, and will present it for critique
(:cell:)
Learn how to use a notification infrastructure, such as a notification server/shared dictionary
(:cellnr:) You will implement and package your design on the class web site so others can try it.
(:cell:)
Start thinking in terms of multimedia as design opportunities
(:cellnr:) You will create a portfolio summary of this design based on the idea of a book.
(:cell:)
Engage in design critiques
(:tableend:)

Objectives

You will apply your knowledge of notifications and groupware to design a notification system suitable for a particular community

You will generate sketched designs in your sketchbook of possible notifications and how your audience will use it

You will produce a modest paper prototype illustrating your design, and will present it for critique

You will implement and package your design on the class web site so others can try it.

You will create a portfolio summary of this design based on the idea of a book.

Pedagogical Objectives

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What you will be given

Gregor McEwan will give you his prototype Community Bar system and media item designer tutorial/tester, designed to simplify the development process of notifications and groupware. See

to:

Materials

You will be given Gregor McEwan's prototype Community Bar system and media item designer tutorial/tester, designed to simplify the development process of notifications and groupware. See

You have been hired as a summer assistant to work on the Community Bar Project, a groupware system that makes it easy for a small group to stay aware of each other, to post common information, and to move into conversation and work. The current set of notifications allows people to post data (such as web sites), awareness information (such as snapshot video) and to communicate (real time text chat).

Your job is to build a new type of groupware media item that can be posted to the Community Bar. You have complete freedom of your design, but you must identify the intended audience, and argue why the notification is useful for them, and that its design is somewhat impressive. As well, the media item should show a clear progression from awareness information to somewhat more detailed information and interaction to full details and interaction (via the three types of items you can create).

The design should also be visually appealing and impressive, as your boss wants to use your work as a convincing and aesthetic example of what can be done with their architecture.

Objectives

You will apply your knowledge of notifications and groupware to design a notification system suitable for a particular community

You will generate sketched designs in your sketchbook of possible notifications and how your audience will use it

You will produce a modest paper prototype illustrating your design, and will present it for critique

You will implement and package your design on the class web site so others can try it.

You will create a portfolio summary of this design based on the idea of a book.

Pedagogical Objectives

Transform your theoretical knowledge of notifications (as taught in class and garnered through the readings) to design

Read your notes and articles on the community bar and other notification systems.

Scan the web for ideas, or look at existing systems to see how they include notifications (e.g., software updates, stock tickers, etc). Feel free to re-design existing systems.

Brainstorm several notifications by :

- describing several audiences (friends, family, workgroups)

- describing information they may be interested in receiving as a notification

- sketching the design of the three levels of notifications and how they lead to interaction

- sketching what would happen if the poster haddifferent powers than others

Compare ideas with your classmates, and synthesize new ideas based upon feedback.

Feel free to work together so that your notifications complement one another.

Implement your design

Package your implementation, and create a visual summary of it on the web site, and as a paper prototype using a book idea.

Evaluation

Evaluation will be somewhat stricter than in project 1. As before, your exercise will be very loosely based on the following breakdown. However, great successes − or failures − in one exercise criteria will likely affect your total grade. Note that a successful implementation is required: if you cannot demonstrate your system, you will automatically receive a zero.

Sketches: ~1/5 of your grade

Design creativity: ~1/5 of your grade

Implementation, documentation and packaging:: ~2/5 of your grade

Portfolio summary: ~1/5 of your grade

Possible ideas

These are in no particular order. Note that some of these are easy, others are very difficult. I just brainstormed these quickly; try and come up with your own. One trick is to take any existing notification and ask yourself what it would be like if you could post it to multiple people and how they would act on it

see the readings below - there are several ideas in each of them

post an arbitrary image as a notification, where others could make it larger, and then we could interact over it through a simple multi-user sketch system ie., where we can draw atop the image simultaneously

a group scheduling system, where we could add individual events as notifications to the schedule, and where the system would notify us of events coming up

notify others of interesting things found on the web

tie a notification to changing information somewhere on the web (e.g., weather, avalanche reports) where the notification would update itself automatically and tell me when things have changed

post a series of pictures as a slide show, but where people who receive it can view images at larger sizes through a simple slide show control

send a voice broadcast to the group as a notification

redo tickertape (see last reading below)...

Readings

McEwan, G., and Greenberg, S. (2005)Supporting Social Worlds with the Community Bar. Proceedings of the ACM Group 2005 Conference, ACM Press.